


365 days, but one is more important than the others

by mikesfreckles



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Father and Daughter Relationship, I love her, Still not sure what this is, el will be the death of hopper, hopper admitting he likes mike, innocent el, it has meaning lol, its fluffy, not out loud tho, she doesnt know much about birthdays
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-18
Updated: 2019-06-18
Packaged: 2020-05-13 08:17:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19247344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mikesfreckles/pseuds/mikesfreckles
Summary: “It’s not really something you have any control over. It’s just that day, ya know?”She looked down at her dirty-white Converse and sighed. “But I don’t have a day. Can’t I just pick one?”“I’m sure if you wanted to know your real birthday, you could find out-““I don’t want to. I have a better day anyways.”





	365 days, but one is more important than the others

**Author's Note:**

> this is an idea i’ve been waiting to write for a while now, i just needed to figure out how to actually write it.
> 
> i’m pretty sure el doesn’t already have a birthday. if she does, then that’s embarrassing. but i hope i’m not being a spazz and missing something, because that’s totally something i would do. 
> 
> also, lets pretend that hopper and joyce never went to meet terry and becky. i completely forgot about that while writing this, and it's too late to change it.
> 
> anyways, enjoy!

Hopper watched as El reached for her Supercomm that he had recently bought her. The least he could do was allow her to talk to her friends after keeping them apart for so long.

Especially that one boy, Mike. Oh, Mike. If Hopper had a penny for every time El mentioned Mike Wheeler, he would have been able to buy the whole town of Hawkins by now. 

He never really understood why they were so heavily attached to one another. Sure, he gave her shelter from the rain, and he was the first person she truly trusted, but he wouldn’t think that would lead to such attachment. They knew each other for six days, and their love lasted for almost an entire year. Mike hadn’t even known if she was alive or not. 

The whole story never fails to impress Hopper. It was basically true love between two fourteen year olds. How does that happen?

Hopper would never admit it, but he liked Mike. How could he not? He was such a pure boy, and was a match made in heaven for El. He was exactly what she needed. 

As Hopper heard the soft chatter between El and the other person on the line (most likely Mike), he began to wonder what they were talking about. 

He turned the volume on the TV down, loud enough to make her think he was still watching, but low enough to slightly hear the conversation going on in the room next door. 

Hopper had to convince himself he wasn’t snooping on her. He made a promise to El that he’d let her have her privacy. But Hopper was allowed to be nosy every once in a while. It’s not like he could resist listening in sometimes. 

El’s soft voice barely reached his ears, “Do I have one?” 

Hopper couldn’t help but panic a little once he heard those words come out of her mouth. There was so many things that question could have been meant for.

“Of course, El! Everyone has a day that they were born on.” Those words confirmed that it was Mike on the other side of the walkie-talkie. 

After that small mystery was finished with, he then realized that they were talking about birthdays. Mike’s must have been coming up or something, and he probably mentioned it to her, triggering a whirlwind of questions. He could only imagine.

He knew El was about fourteen. She had been in the lab for twelve of those fourteen, and he had been living with her for almost two. She could be fifteen by now, but he really had no way of knowing.

Hopper’s thoughts are then interrupted by the small figure that stood next to the couch.

“Hey, Dad?” El still had the walkie-talkie clutched tightly in her right hand.

“Yeah?” 

“When is my birthday?” Her voice was filled with curiosity. How could he explain this?

“Well, uh, I’m not too sure.” 

He watched as El’s face fell slightly. 

“Mike’s birthday is next week.”

Yep, his suspicion was correct.

Hopper then had an idea. El briefly told him about the night she went all the way to damn Chicago to see her mother, aunt, and sister. That's about as much as he could get out of her. She knew he wasn't going to be pleased, and she was right about that. There was nothing he could do except make sure she never went back on her own again. At least not for a few years. 

"Hey El, how about I go travel to Chicago or where ever you went, and ask your mom about your birthday? I'm sure she knows."

She shook her head no. Her reaction was a lot more disappointed than he would have expected. He figured there must have been more to that "simple" story.

El glanced down at the Supercomm she still held onto tightly, and Hopper suspected she must have been thinking.

It only took a moment for her to look back up. When she did, her face was hopeful and excited.

She quickly sat on the couch next to Hopper, bubbling with happiness. "What if I choose a day?"

Hopper wasn't quite sure how to react to that. Choose your own birthday? "Uh, what do you mean by that?" 

"Since I don't really have a birthday, can I just pick a day to celebrate it on?" Celebrate. Hopper didn't know that was in her vocabulary. However, El's been talking to Wheeler nonstop, so she was bound to learn new words.

Hopper was still trying to form an appropriate response on how to tell her you don't pick the day you were born. “It’s not really something you have any control over. It’s just that day, ya know?”

She looked down at her once-white Converse and sighed. “But I don’t have a day. Can’t I just pick one?” 

“I’m sure if you wanted to know your real birthday, you could find out-“ 

“I don’t want to. I have a better day anyways.”

"Oh, really? And what would that date be?" Hopper was sure it was going to be the same as Mike's or something ridiculous like that.

El didn't hesitate to answer, "November 7th." 

Hopper was surprised. It was the beginning of October, so his guess on her date was incorrect.

"Why then?" 

"Because it was the day Mike found me in the woods." Ah, so it _was_ Mike-related. 

"I don't know, kid. Wouldn't you be happier knowing the actual day?"

"No, I've never known it, and I don't want to now." El's voice was calm, with a slight pleading tone. She knew he was about to give in.

"Alright, fine. Your birthday can be on November 7th," Hopper sighed. How could he resist her big, hazel eyes? If it was going to make her happy, then he'd allow it. "November 7th, 1971. That's your birthday," he concluded.

"I'm almost 1-5. Fifteen." El said quietly, as if she was saying it to herself. She probably was. "Thanks, Dad!" She scooted over to hug him tightly.

He hugged her back quickly. El let go and scurried off into her room once again, still gripping the communication device tightly.

Before Hopper redirected his attention back to the sports game he was watching a few minutes before, he listened to what El would tell Mike.

"Hey, Mike! Guess what?" He heard the happiness in her voice, knowing he made the right decision.

The static hadn't lasted long as he listened to the boy's voice ring through, "Yeah El?"

"Wanna know my birthday?"

"Oh, sure! I thought you didn't know your birthday." Hopper heard the confusion in his soft voice.

"My dad let me choose it!"

"Wow, that's cool! When is it?"

"November 7th. The same day you found me in the woods almost two years ago!" El didn't have to wait long to hear Mike's reaction.

"I love that! It's so meaningful." Mike giggled in happiness through the walkie-talkie.

Before he could hear anything else they said, Hopper returned the TV to the volume it was once at. He smiled to himself, knowing that it was a little ridiculous that he let El choose her own goddamn birthday, but deep down he knew it meant a lot to her.

Plus, she kinda needed one anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> summer is almost here for me and i'm so excited oh my god i can obsess over mileven all summer long
> 
> that being said, i have more stories coming soon (especially some packed with fluff hehe)
> 
> thanks for reading! feedback is always appreciated!


End file.
